


The Lights Behind (y)Our Eyes

by lemon_soda



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AU, Alternate canon verse, Canon Compliant, Canon verse, M/M, Rating will change, Sort Of, Unresolved Sexual Tension, eventually, slowburn, which will be resolved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-07 18:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14676474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemon_soda/pseuds/lemon_soda
Summary: After the events of Calamity Ganon, Link and Zelda spend their days rebuilding the broken kingdom of Hyrule. On a mission to deliver a Hylian ambassador to Gerudo Town, Link crosses paths with a strangely familiar Gerudo man who never takes off his gloves.





	1. Chapter 1

It felt good to be on the road again. 

After nearly three years spent in and around the newly renovated Hyrule Castle, Link had been itching for a change of pace. Princess Zelda, perceptive as she’s always been when it comes to her chosen knight, noticed and sent him off to escort the Hylian ambassador to Gerudo Town. 

Link tugged on the reins of his horse. After the events following the end of Calamity Ganon, the Sheikah slate had mysteriously stopped functioning and travel became long and arduous; he helped Zelda spearhead many road construction projects. Recently, monster attacks have become increasingly rare without the Blood Moon to sustain the beastly populations. With as large an entourage as the one the ambassadors of Hyrule travelled with, it was very unlikely any remaining bokoblins would be interested. Link’s presence here was merely a formality. 

He fingered the bandages on his hand, blisters sustained from one too many nights spent working off excess energy on the sparring ground. Zelda had insisted he go to bed, tugging on his arm and pulling the sword out of his hand. “You don’t have to train yourself so hard, Link. The Calamity is gone.”  
Listen to me, she said with her eyes. Confide in me. Trust me.  
As if they were close friends. As if he remembered her. The sparse and mostly shallow memories he had regained after the slumber were hardly enough for their bond to be as deep as it must have been. According to the Sheikah healers, there was a high probability he will never remember the majority of his life before waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection. Sometimes, the princess forgets this. Swamped in reports and papers and piles upon piles of news, she sighs in exhaustion and rests her head on Link’s shoulder, only to realise her slip up when the knight tenses in immediate discomfort. 

It was a little unnerving to have someone you perceive as a distant ally know random, intimate things about you. His favorite food, favorite clothes- everything from the way he likes to style his hair to his nightly routine and cooking habits- she knew. 

The entourage stopped for the night at Outskirt stable; the faint aroma of roasting meat wafting through the chilly night air quickens his sudden hunger. Link dismounts and lets the ambassador’s assistants handle the horses and room keys while he walks deliberately to the steaming cooking pot. 

With grease smeared on his face and fingers, Link leans back, belly full and mood elevated. He closed his eyes, enjoying the coolness of the night breeze on his skin. The hero pointedly ignored the heavy footsteps heading his way. Many a citizen had approached him, tales of his and Zelda’s exploits having spread far and wide. Link found that feigning ignorance and giving the barest of answers usually made them lose interest eventually. 

“Pardon me, but you wouldn’t happen to have a flint or two to spare would you?” The man had a low, gravelly voice full of a heaviness that comes with a lot of life experience. Link opens his eyes, resigning himself to actual human social interaction. He looked up at the speaker, and promptly froze.  
The traveler was dramatically tall, crimson hair swept into a braid and held in place with gold clasps that glimmered in the low light of the campfire. Link shifted his gaze up, past hard muscle and expensive travel gear into striking gold eyes. Tan skin and red hair? An excess of abdominal muscle and outstanding height? If Link didn’t know better, he’d call this man a Gerudo. 

Link nods to the stranger and reaches into his rucksack for a flint. He silently hands it over, greasy hands brushing cold gloves. There was something vaguely familiar about those eyes. 

“That gear- you aren’t heading to Gerudo Town, are you?” The man sits himself on a log opposite Link. The hero nods again, adding more wood to the fire. Nights were chilly. The stranger emanated heat. He wrapped his arms around himself, cold but too comfortable to bother getting up to change into warmer clothes. 

_I am escorting an ambassador of Hyrule,_ Link signed, _We were due to arrive at Gerudo Town in three days time, but one of our guards was injured last night in the storm._ The stranger looked thoughtful. 

__

_____ _

__

“What a coincidence. We share destinations.”

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_____ _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you can probably tell, i'm not exactly a seasoned fanfic writer (i am however, an AVID reader).  
> i hope you enjoyed this first foray of mine into the fantastic world of actually contributing to fandoms.  
> i wrote this on a whim during exam week because of a friend, but who knows- it may actually gain a plot.  
> please follow if you are interested, i guess. i'll try my best to update every sunday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're approaching the desert, and Link is getting thirsty.

Link glanced at his dusky skin.  _ What business do you have there?  _

The man shifted uncomfortably on the hard wood. “I’m returning home.” Home? Gerudo Town is his home? So, he is a native Gerudo after all. 

_ I thought there were no male Gerudos left in this world.  _ Link gestured with his hands. A flame of curiosity lit inside the hero despite the tiredness slowly drooping his eyes. The moon was high in the sky. Other travellers were heading indoors. 

 

“I am ….somewhat an anomaly.” He says, smiling bitterly. From the doorway of the stable, Link can hear his travel companions retiring for the night. One of them waved at him to do the same. 

 

“You should go.” The Gerudo pushed himself up from the log, still smiling. Link frowned. He didn’t really feel like moving, so he took the chance to extinguish the campfire instead. 

 

The stranger picked up his bags from their sprawled out positions on the ground. He took a few paces towards the stable before turning to say, 

 

“Something tells me we will meet again, Hero.” 

 

It occurred to Link later that night he had forgotten to ask for the man’s name. 

 

***

 

The morning came with the usual incessant calling of tree birds and their mates. Link rolls over, eyes blinking blearily from yet another night of malicious dreams. He rubbed at them with a bandaged hand and stood up to get dressed. 

 

After wolfing down a quick breakfast of fruits and bread, the entourage prepared to move on along the road. Arrangements were made for the injured knight to stay and recover at the stable. Missing a soldier was not too big a safety concern as a logistics problem. Along with the ambassador herself, they were transporting heavy cartons loaded with valuable goods and gifts in an attempt to convince Chief Riju to establish a trade route with Hyrule. With one less pair of hands, it will become more complicated to move them across the shifting desert sands, where horses cannot safely traverse. 

 

“Good news, Champion.” The ambassador approached him, thick glasses skewed. “We were fortunate enough to have found a replacement willing to do some quick work. Problem is, as official dignitaries of Hyrule we’re not exactly allowed to hire people unauthorised to handle diplomatic goods.” 

 

Link eyed the new volunteer standing off to one side beside the horses. The Gerudo traveler from last night was feeding apples to them, petting their manes as he did so. Somehow, the hero was not at all surprised at this new development. 

 

_ I’ll vouch for him.  _ Link’s hands moved without his permission. What was he doing?  _ I’ll keep an eye on him for you. We need the manpower.  _

 

“Oh!” She clapped her hands together. “That’s perfect. We won’t have to delay our schedule any more than necessary.” Her overly cheery soprano voice was a little grating this early in the morning. Link hasn’t met anyone this enthusiastic since Purah. He nodded at her and then left to find his own horse. 

 

The rainfall from the previous nights had caused some minor flooding in the canyon they were headed through, clear water mixing unattractively with dry sand into a sticky mud. The travelers’  pants were soaked through to mid-calf. Link felt sticky and his royal broadsword was poking awkwardly into his back from where it was strapped. The Master Sword had attracted too much attention, and he’d returned it back to its pedestal in the Korok Forest. 

 

His nose twitched from the acrid scent of ozone and sweat. Without meaning to, the hero’s thoughts drifted to his newest companion on the road. 

 

Dragmire. An unusual name, for a Gerudo. 

 

Link can’t help but feel he’s heard it somewhere before. In a memory, or in a dream. He licked his chapped lips. The Gerudo and his horse was certainly a sight to marvel at. The beast towered above its peers, strong and swift and majestic. There was something about that man Link just couldn’t place his finger on. He was at once magnetic and repellant, compelling but tinged with a certain danger. 

 

They stopped for a rest around mid-afternoon and then continued on at a rapid pace. Link kept stealing subtle glances at the red haired man. Soon, the sun hung low in the horizon and the next resting stop for the night was visible in the distance. 

 

“It does not rain often in these arid regions.” 

 

Link turned after checking in to the lodge. Dragmire was leaning on the doorframe, the wood groaning in protest at his massive weight. He pushed himself off, stepping closer to the hero. Link swallowed, wiping his suddenly moist palms on his pants.  _ Well, we’re not at the desert yet.  _

 

“You must know all about that.” The Gerudo smiled slyly. “Seeing as your travel companions claim you have explored every corner of the world.” 

 

Link shrugged, heading out of the hall and towards the pot on the campfire. “Tell me, how did you ever manage to sneak into Gerudo Town?” Dragmire inquired innocently, picking at his fingernails. The hero busied himself with stroking the apples baking in the fire, buying time before answering. 

 

_ What makes you think those stories are true?  _ Link signed pointedly. Here they sit again, talking about nothing by the warmth of the fire. The Gerudo’s eyes glowed in the tepid light. Dragmire picked up a baked apple, carefully peeling off the soft skin of the sweet delight. Link watched as the man’s long gloved fingers dug in, the flesh of the fruit giving in ever so slightly with a soft squelch. 

 

The hero licked his lips, suddenly parched. Both of them were still, eyes on each other. What were they talking about again? Bringing the apple to his lips, the gerudo took a leisurely bite. Juice dripped down his chin. The eye contact should have felt excruciatingly awkward but somehow wasn’t. 

 

Early on in his journey three years ago, Link came upon a famous delicacy from Lurelin Village, a rich and bittersweet dessert that melts on your tongue and slides down your throat like the smoothest kiss. Chocolate. Looking at his companion now, Link could taste it in his mouth.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> exam week. not sure when next update will be.


End file.
